Furnace for heating asphalt, &amp;c.



PATENTED NOV. 24, 1903 No. 744,871. I

- A. MONTUPET.

FURNACE FOR HEATING ASPHALT, 8w.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 30, 1902. V

' 3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

H0 MODEL.

Fis lw: NORFHS PETERS co PHOTO-LH'MO, WASHlNC-IOY 1m;v

"A10. 744,871. I PATENTED NOV. 24, 1903.

" A. MONTUPET.

FURNACE FOR HEATING ASPHALT, 8w. APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 30. 1902.

N0 MODEL. 8 SHEETS-SHEET 2. I

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m: Nonms PETERS co. PHOTO-LITNI! wgsmnc'rm n. c

PATENTED NOV. 24, 1903. A. MONTUPET. FURNACE FOR HEATING ASPHALT, 6w.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 30. 1902.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

NO MODEL.

THF annals HETERS co. PHoTnLfl'no. WASHINGTON, 0

Patented November 24, 1903.

PATENT @lrrron.

ANTONIN MONTUPET, OF PARIS, FRANCE.

FURNACE FOR HEATING ASPHALT, 3L6.

SPECIFICATION forming; part of Letters Patent No. 744,871, dated November 24:, 1903.

Application filed August 30,1902. Serial No. 121,690. (No model.)

To all whom it 11mg concern:

Be it known that I, ANTONIN MONTUPET, a citizen of the Republic of France, and a resident of Paris, in the Republic of France, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in or Relating to Furnaces for Heating Asphalt and other Material, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in furnaces employed in the manufacture of asphalt and other materials. nace usually comprises a cylinder or semioylinder fixed in masonry and receiving the heat from below either directly or through refractory bricks. A shaft which carries arms for stirring the asphalt is mounted in the cylinder and is driven by suitable gearing. As a rule the lower partof the furnace becomes overheated in the intervals between the successive passage of the arms, which are intended to equalize the heat and to prevent heating of any portion of the charge for too long a time, and it is practically impossible to completely replace the hot mass by cooler material by means of the stirring-arms at each throw of the latter. The overheating causes a partial distillation of the bitumen in the asphalt. Theshaftandthearmsofthestirrer sometimes undergo considerable torsional strain, which often causes damage-as, for instance, when a pebble or any foreign body becomes wedged between the stirring-arms and the walls of the furnace. The varying expansion of the furnace-plates heated to a temperature above that which is safe for asphalt causes deformation, and consequently layersof various thicknesses of burnt bitumen and asphalt become interposed between the furnace-wall and the mixing-paddles, forming a hard body which prevents the heat from penetrating the mass under treatment, which is itself a bad conductor of heat. The heating-snrface being relatively small, it becomes necessary to employ a large grate, and a fierce fire has to be kept up fora long time in order to obtain a useful product.

The object of the present invention is to overcome these drawbacks, and three practical constructions of asphalt-heating apparatus are represented in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation of a stationary This class of furmaterial.

furnace; Fig. 2, a vertical section of the same on the lineA B of Fig. 3; Fig. 3, a longitudinal vertical section on the line C D of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 illustrates a modified construction of furnacewhich can be mounted upon Wheels, and Fig. 5 is a vertical section of a stationary furnace having a movablegrate.

The asphalt-furnace according to this invention, Figs. 1 to 3, consists of a closed r0- tatable vessel which rotates on two hollow trunnions I), supported in bearings 0, carried by iron brackets. The rotary motion is obtained through a worm-gear d, keyed to one of the trunnions b and driven by a Worm e, which is mounted upon a shaft g, carrying the driving-pulleys. The vessel Ct is composed of plates and is cylindrical, so as to obtain a large heating-surface. The interior 7c of this cylinder 66 is not provided with any moving devices, so that a foreign body cannot cause breakage or stoppage of the apparatus. All parts of the surface of the cylindrical vessel or are successively exposed to the flames of the grate fduring one revolution. In order to effect the agitation of the asphalt and at the same time cause the heat to penetrate to the interior of the mass, which is a bad conductor of heat, any convenient number of inwardly-extending projections h in the interior of the vessel a are provided. These projections h, which considerably increase the heating-surface, terminate in teeth or are provided with serrated extensions 2', which break up and disintegrate the asphalt as it falls during the rotation. The projections extend sufficiently far inward within the vessel a to adapt them to act upon and raise practically the entire mass of material. Also said projections are directed inwardly at such an angle as will best adapt them to act as ledges to receive and raise the The closed vessel a rotating in the direction indicated by the arrow causes 5 the projections h, which constitute the agitating device, to raise the asphalt, which during further rotation falls or drops between the teeth 2', a continuous stirring and mixing of the mass being thus obtained. The large :00 heating area obtained by this construction allows of the employment of a small grate, expansion is not interfered with, and there is neither overheating nor loss of heat. The

charging of the furnace at can be effected as desired by means of a hinged board or chute 3', arranged above it, while the cooling which occurs during the charging is almost nil, as this operation occupies but a short space of time. A rigid tube is, extending into the interior of the vessel a through one of the hollow trunnions 1), allows of the escape of steam and oily vapors, while distillation products can be easily recovered by cooling the outlettube 10, thereby effecting considerable economy. A washer Z, fixed to the tube 70 and pressing against the endof the heat vessel a, prevents leakage therefrom. The tube is is protected by a false end m, provided with small apertures n. A pyrometer fixed to the interior of the cylinder and projecting outside indicates at any moment the temperature, so that the asphalt can be heated to a predetermined degree. Metal brushes 0, arranged beneath the vessel ct, brush off the soot and at the same time preserve the necessary tightness and prevent any loss of the hot gases. The vessel a has a hinged cover 10 for the charging-opening and an opening closed by a door q for the removal of the material, a removable tube 0" being adapted to be applied to the said opening and having mounted upon it a lever adapted to operate the door q.

The portable furnace for road-paving purposes is constructed upon the same principle and comprises the same parts as the furnace above described. The external casing s, Fig. 4:, however, is constituted of iron sheets instead of bricks or masonry. In both constructions the grate f may be arranged on one side, either to the right or to the left, or at the center of the under side of the heating vessel. The gases after having passed round and heated the external surface of the Vessel'a are conducted into a flue t, which is arranged at the center of the lower portion of the casing s. The escape of the gases of the hot asphalt is efiected as in the stationary furnaces; but the outlet-tube in this case opens into the chimney.

The liquefaction and the treatment of the flux or pitch used in the manufacture of asphalt may be accomplished with great advantage in these furnaces.

The stationary furnace when it is particularly destined for the heating of natural as phalt-powder is constructed and arranged as above described. However, in order to facilitate cleaning the grate can be made movable, as shown in Fig. 5, instead of being fixed, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4:. When a movable grate is employed, it is fixed upon a wheeled carriage and is preferably divided into two compartments-one compartment, y, for the gratef, and the other, to, for the return of the smoke, the latter compartment being connected with the main conduit of the chimney. It being possible to draw out the movable grate from beneath the heating vessel a, a special carriage can be placed beneath the vessel, into which through a convenient opening the hot powder can be discharged.

I would state that the details of construction shown in Figs. 1 to 3 and hereinafter claimed may be employed in the construction seen in Fig. 5.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A rotary heating vessel for asphalt and other materials provided with inward projections in its cylindrical wall for increasing the heating-surface thereof said projections forming in the vessel ledges and agitating devices for the material treated, toothed extremities to the projections, a draw-otf ori fice for the material and scrapers for the external surface of the vessel substantially as set forth.

2. A rotary heating vessel for asphalt and other materials, provided in its interior with projections extending inwardly from the cylindrical wall for increasing the heating-surface thereof, said projections constituting ledges and agitating devices for the material treated, a draw-otf tube extending into the interior of the vessel, scrapers for the external surface of the vessel and an adjustable damper for the admission of cool air in combination with a source of heat located exteriorly of the vessel and a flue leading from said source of heat and practically surrounding the circumferential wall of the vessel.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ANTONIN MONTUPE'I.

Witnesses:

LoUIs SULLIGER, EDWARD P. MACLEAN. 

